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Kusaka stuns Makhmudov, Bishkek crowd for Asian gold at Greco 77kg

Monday, April 15, 2024 - 16:50 By Ken Marantz

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BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan (April 15) -- Nao KUSAKA (JPN) accomplished what he came to do, and silenced the Kyrgyzstan crowd by denying them what they most wanted to see. As a bonus, he also happened to spoil his opponent's 25th birthday.

Kusaka stunned reigning world and Asian champion Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) 4-2 in the Greco 77kg final at the Asian Championships on Monday in Bishkek, gaining revenge for a close loss to the Kyrgyz superstar in the semifinals at last year's World Championships.

"From the time I lost at the World Championships, I've been aiming at getting revenge," Kusaka said. "To win on the opponent's home soil is a major achievement in my wrestling life."

All five weight classes had the defending champion in action, but only the Iranian pair of Naser ALIZADEH (IRI) at 87kg and world champion Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) at 130kg managed to hold onto their titles. For Alizadeh, it was a fourth straight gold, while Mirzazadeh earned the third of his career.

Yu Chol RO (PRK) knocked off defending champion Poya DAD MARZ (IRI) in the 55kg final to give the DPR Korea its second gold in its return to the continental championships after a five-year absence, while unheralded Yerzhet ZHARLYKASSYN (KAZ) was a surprising champion at 63kg.

Nao KUSAKA (JPN)Nao KUSAKA (JPN) celebrates after beating Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) in Bishkek. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

For 2022 world U23 bronze medalist Kusaka, the memory he will take home of the crowd at Bishkek Arena falling silent after witnessing the vanquishing of two-time defending champion Makhmudov will be as valuable as the gold medal.

"It felt great," the 23-year-old said of turning the roars to a hush. "It's the best. As the 'heel', I have etched my name here. It's really a great feeling. It makes me glad I took up wrestling."

Kusaka's win came without actually scoring a technical point. He gained a passivity point and, while he was trying for a turn, Makhmudov was assessed a 2-point penalty for leg blocking after a challenge to put the Japanese up 3-0.

It seemed inevitable that Makhmudov would get his chance on top and when he did, his throw at the edge failed to turn Kusaka and he received only one point for a stepout. A challenge by the Kyrgyz side was denied, giving Kusaka a 4-2 lead that he made stick until the end.

"He got me into the air, but sometimes you get lucky and it's limited to only one point," Kusaka said. "My opponent is probably thinking, I'm glad it was here [and not the Olympics]. But to me, this is a big win."

The 7-5 loss he was dealt by Makhmudov last September in Belgrade has been both a source of irritation and inspiration. Anticipating the rematch, he has studied the video of the match religiously and intensified his training, including grueling sessions with sumo wrestlers to work on putting pressure on his opponents.

After the World Championships, Kusaka spent a month on a self-funded training trip to Germany and Hungary with the aim of raising his level and gaining international experience ahead of the Paris Olympics. While there, he participated in Bundesliga matches and practiced with stars Tamas LORINCZ (HUN) and Zoltan LEVAI (HUN).

Even in Japan, Kusaka said he has to contend with the aura that emanates from Makhmudov, who also has an Olympic silver medal to his credit. Incidentally, Lorincz, who won the 77kg gold at the Tokyo Olympics after beating Makhmudov in the final, awarded the medals to the 77kg medalists in Bishkek.

"I've realized lately that in this internet world, Makhmudov has hundreds of thousands of followers on Instagram, while only a few Japanese have maybe tens of thousands," Kusaka said.

"He has videos of his big throws, and people around me say, 'Makhmudov is amazing! How can you beat a monster like that?' But I'm like, 'It's not really like that.'

"Anyway, if you think truly in your heart you can beat someone, it is not impossible. I think this win provides a good example for the wrestling community. I want to convey that if you stick to your beliefs, if you stick to your style, you can definitely be a world-beater. I want to prove that."

This year, he finished third at the Zagreb Open, where he lost to Levai in the fourth round. Before Paris, Kusaka intends to enter the Budapest Ranking Series in June in order to help his chances of being seeded at the Olympics.

Makhmudov had accepted the reality of the defeat and he is ready to move on.

"What happened, happened," he said. "I know that no matter how much I try, I won’t be able to change anything. I want to train harder in the future and prove that I’ve been coming back all the time and will come back again. There is a little time left before the Olympic Games, but I’ll try my best to compete successfully there."

Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI)Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) won his third career Asian title. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

In other action, Mirzazadeh showed once again how unstoppable he is from par terre, as he rolled Minseok KIM (KOR) two times for all the points he needed in a 5-0 victory in the 130kg final.

"I really practiced hard for this and tried a lot to be able to create a significant difference with the other competitors and it makes me happy," Mirzazadeh said.

It was the first time in three matches that the Iranian didn't end it with enough gut wrenches from par terre, but it still got the job done. Mirzazadeh had beaten Kim previously in the first round of the Tokyo Olympics, where he ended up taking a disappointing fifth by losing to the legendary Riza KAYAALP (TUR) in the bronze-medal match.

Mirzazadeh lost to Kayaalp again in the final of the 2022 worlds, but gained his revenge and his first world title in the gold-medal match last September in Belgrade. That makes him a leading candidate to end the hopes of Mijain LOPEZ (CUB) for an unprecedented fifth Olympic gold in Paris.

"I think it was a really great start for further preparation for the Olympics," Mirzazadeh said. "From tomorrow, when the competition ends, I have to start training and trying to make my people happy with the title in the Olympics."

At 87kg, Alizadeh maintained his dominance of Nursultan TURSYNOV (KAZ), beating him at the Asian Championships for the fourth year in a row and in a second consecutive final.

Alizadeh was never really challenged and clinched a 5-0 victory with a 2-point throw from par terre at the edge in the second period.

Alizadeh had beaten Tursynov in the first round in both 2021 and 2022 before defeating him 8-0 in last year's final in Astana. The 33-year-old Tursynov does have an Asian gold medal, won back in 2014.

Yu Chol RO (PRK)Yu Chol RO (PRK) defeated defending 55kg champion Poya DAD MARZ (IRI) in the final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

At 55kg, the DPR Korea's Ro, whose last appearance on the international wrestling scene ended with an eighth-place finish at the 2019 Asian Championships in Xi'an, made a big leap with a 9-0 victory to dethrone Iran's Dad Marz.

"Today is the biggest holiday in Korea -- 'The Day of the Sun' -- on this day, I wanted to gift my gold medal to my country and I would like to say thank you to my parents and friends," Ro said. "I would like to become the world champion."

Ro, put into par terre in the first period, took full advantage by reeling off a pair of rolls before Dad Marz appeared to squirm his way out of a third. But the Iranian was assessed a 2-point penalty for leg blocking to make it 7-0.

That caution also put Dad Marz back on the bottom, and Ro responded by muscling him over to end the match at 2:08 for his fourth technical fall in four matches.

Yerzhet ZHARLYKASSYN (KAZ)Yerzhet ZHARLYKASSYN (KAZ) hits a four-point throw against Ayata SUZUKI (JPN) in the 63kg final during the Asian Championships. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

In the 63kg final, Kazakhstan's Zharlykassyn came out of nowhere to snatch the gold with a nail-biting 6-6 victory on criteria over two-time 60kg bronze medalist Ayata SUZUKI (JPN).

Suzuki, the Asian Games silver medalist, started strong with an arm throw for 2 and a gut wrench. But his aggressiveness worked against him when Zharlykassyn countered an arm throw for a takedown, which he followed with a nifty 4-point throw that would end up being the criteria decider.

In the second period, Suzuki slipped out of a whizzer for a takedown to tie it up at 6-6, but all of his efforts to score the go-ahead point were thwarted.

"I was confident of not giving up points from standing," Suzuki said. "To give up points on my attack, and then the 4-pointer, I need to think more about the timing of my attack and the attack itself."

Prior to Monday, Zharlykassyn's only notable accomplishment was a bronze medal at the 2022 Asian U23 Championships -- won in a field with just four entries. He fell in the first round at the World U23 Championships in both 2022 and 2023.

Sajjad ALBIDHAN (IRQ)Sajjad ALBIDHAN (IRQ) won the bronze medal at 55kg. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

Albidhan takes bronze for Iraq's first medal since 2021

In the bronze-medal matches, Sajjad ALBIDHAN (IRQ) gave Iraq its first Asian medal in three years with an impressive victory by fall over Taemin KIM (KOR) at 55kg.

Albihan got two rolls off par terre in the first period, then turned Kim over after a takedown in the second before applying the finishing touch.

Iraq's last medal at the Asian Championships came in 2021 when Mustafa AL OBAIDI (IRQ) won a bronze medal in Freestyle 86kg. The last Greco-Roman medal came in 2020, won by Sajjad's elder brother Hussein, at 77kg in New Delhi.

Ulan MURATBEK UULU (KGZ), the 2023 Asian U23 champion, picked up his first senior medal when he rode a five-point first period to a 5-2 victory over Jasurbek ORTIKBOEV (UZB) for the other bronze at 55kg.

The highlight of the match may have been when Ortikboev actually scored with a "flying squirrel" -- the desperation move losing Greco wrestlers use at the end of a match in which they leap over their opponent on the unlikely chance they can grab on and roll them over.

At 63kg, Iman MOHAMMADI (IRI), who was dethroned as champion in the semifinals by Suzuki, assured he won't be going home empty-handed when he cruised to a 10-0 victory over Haodong TAN (CHN).

Mohammadi made the rare decision of opting to remain standing after receiving a passivity point in the first period, and it paid off with a stepout, after which he added a takedown. He repeated the process in the second period before ending the match in 4:38 with an arm-trap roll.

The other 63kg bronze went to Chan KIM (PRK), who was leading Dokyung JUNG (KOR) 9-2 when his opponent was forced to default in the second period after reaggravating a rib injury he had suffered earlier in the day.

In a battle of veterans at 87kg, Asian Games bronze medalist Masato SUMI (JPN) scored two gut wrenches from par terre en route to a 7-3 victory over Atabek AZISBEKOV (KGZ), giving the Japanese his first Asian medal since winning a silver in 2018. Azisbekov was denied a fourth career Asian medal.

Rahimjon UZOKOV (UZB) earned his first major medal with a 6-0 victory over Seunghwan LEE (KOR) for the other 87kg bronze. Ozokov's first points came from a head butt penalty at the beginning of the match, after which he scored a gut wrench from par terre for a 5-0 lead.

At 130kg, 2022 Asian U23 champion Erlan MANATBEKOV (KGZ) gained a passivity point and stepout, with a fleeing point tacked on, in the first period, and that was enough to vanquish Islomjon RAKHMATOV (UZB) 3-0. Rakhmatov ran out of gas in the second period and never pressed enough to get a chance at par terre.

Lingzhe MENG (CHN), last year's losing finalist at 130kg, completely overpowered Ganzolboo BUYANTOGTOKH (MGL), forcing him out at will for six stepouts which, combined with fleeing points tagged onto the final two, resulted in an 8-0 victory in 1:49.

At 77kg, Ibragim MAGOMADOV (KAZ), last year's 72kg champion, got a gut wrench from par terre and held on for a 4-3 victory over Amir ABDI (IRI). For what it's worth, it completes the full set of Asian medals for Magomadov, who was a silver medalist in 2020.

Doniyorkhon NAKIBOV (UZB) picked up the other 77kg bronze, wriggling out of the bottom of par terre to score a takedown and three consecutive rolls in the first period for an 8-3 victory over Yeonghun NOH (KOR).

 

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Day 5 Results

Greco-Roman

55kg (12 entries)
GOLD: Yu Chol RO (PRK) df. Poya DAD MARZ (IRI) by TF, 9-0, 2:08

BRONZE: Ulan MURATBEK UULU (KGZ) df. Jasurbek ORTIKBOEV (UZB), 5-2
BRONZE: Sajjad ALBIDHAN (IRQ) df. Taemin KIM (KOR) by Fall, 3:42 (9-0)

63kg (12 entries)
GOLD: Yerzhet ZHARLYKASSYN (KAZ) df. Ayata SUZUKI (JPN), 6-6

BRONZE: Iman MOHAMMADI (IRI) df. Haodong TAN (CHN) by TF, 10-0, 4:38
BRONZE: Chan KIM (PRK) df. Dokyung JUNG (KOR) by Inj. Def., 3:24 (9-2)

77kg (13 entries)
GOLD: Nao KUSAKA (JPN) df. Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ), 4-2

BRONZE: Ibragim MAGOMADOV (KAZ) df. Amir ABDI (IRI), 4-3
BRONZE: Doniyorkhon NAKIBOV (UZB) df. Yeonghun NOH (KOR), 8-3

87kg (11 entries)
GOLD: Naser ALIZADEH (IRI) df. Nursultan TURSYNOV (KAZ), 5-0

BRONZE: Rahimjon UZOKOV (UZB) df. Seunghwan LEE (KOR), 6-0
BRONZE: Masato SUMI (JPN) df. Atabek AZISBEKOV (KGZ), 7-3

130kg (12 entries)
GOLD: Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) df. Minseok KIM (KOR) by 5-0

BRONZE: Erlan MANATBEKOV (KGZ) df. Islomjon RAKHMATOV (UZB), 3-0
BRONZE: Lingzhe MENG (CHN) df. Ganzolboo BUYANTOGTOKH (MGL) by TF, 8-0, 1:49

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Badaghimofrad Claims Historic Gold for Qatar at Asian Championships

Wednesday, April 8, 2026 - 18:37 By Ken Marantz

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BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan (April 8) -- Shahin BADAGHIMOFRAD (QAT) continued to make history for his adopted homeland, and this time it came at the expense of his real one.

Iranian-born Badaghimofrad gave Qatar its first-ever gold medal at the Asian Championships, coming from behind for a 4-3 victory over Amin HOSSEINI (IRI) in the Greco 82kg final on Wednesday in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

“I won a bronze medal at last year's Asian Championships, and this year I'm very happy that I managed to take a bigger step and win a gold medal,” Badaghimofrad said.

On a night when five different countries struck gold to finish up the Greco competition, Alisher GANIEV (UZB) ended a recent run of runner-up finishes with a victory at 60kg, and world and Olympic champion Hadi SARAVI (IRI) won his third straight title and fourth overall at 97kg.

Razzak BEISHEKEEV (KGZ), who had settled for the silver medal the past two years, made it to the top step of the podium at 67kg to give the host nation its fourth gold, and Almatbek AMANBEK (KAZ) handed Iran another defeat in a final to take the 72kg crown.

Despite going two for seven in gold-medal matches, Iran cruised to the team title by medaling in every weight class for the first time since 1983. The Middle East powerhouse finished with 195 points to outdistance host Kyrgyzstan, which had four champions and compiled 153 points. Uzbekistan, with two gold medalists, was third with 136.

Badaghimofrad, who had been a world cadet (U17) silver medalist and world junior (U20) bronze medalist, was competing for Iran when he first appeared at the Asian Championships three years and 15 kilograms ago, placing fifth in Ulanbaatar, Mongolia.

A native of Khuzestan Province in southeast Iran, he changed his allegiance after 2023 and debuted for Qatar in February 2025 at the Tirana Ranking Series, where he could only manage a seventh-place finish. But a month later, he placed third at the Asian Championships in Amman, Jordan, marking Qatar’s first ever medal in Greco and just its second overall.

Badaghimofrad’s more recent results were not exactly awe-inspiring – an 11th place at the World Championships in Zagreb, then back-to-back seventh places at Ranking Series tournaments in February this year.

And the outlook did not appear much better in Wednesday’s final when Hosseini, the winner of this year’s Tirana Ranking Series tournament, opened the scoring with a gut wrench for a 3-0 lead in the first period.

In the second period, Badaghimofrad got his chance in par terre and, breaking down stiff resistance from Hosseini, managed to roll him over. An Iranian challenge for a potential leg foul was unsuccessful, putting the Qatari up 4-3, which is how it ended.

“I had wrestled my opponent before, so we were both familiar with each other’s styles,” Badaghimofrad said. “Knowing I could apply my move on the ground, I approached the match without any stress. When the referee gave the passivity warning, I was able to execute my move and emerge as the winner.”

Badaghimofrad knows he still has a way to go if he wants to achieve similar success on the bigger global stages.

“My wrestling isn’t perfect yet, and I’m gradually trying to improve it … so I can get thebest result at the World Championships and the Olympics,” he said.

Ganiev finally got the result he was looking for, escaping from second-place purgatory by avenging a loss in last year’s 60kg final with a victory by fall over world and Olympic bronze medalist Se Ung RI (PRK).

Ganiev went up 2-1 when he stepped over and gained an exposure on Ri’s gut-wrench attempt from par terre. In the second period, he increased the lead with a passivity point and a challenge point, but made the score moot when he pancaked Ri to the mat and held on for a fall at 5:06.

“The plan was not to rush, to wrestle patiently, wait for the right moment in par terre,” Ganiev said. “However, during the match, things changed. I managed to score points [from bottom] in par terre. In the second period, I continued with my approach. We prepared specifically for this opponent.”

Ganiev finished second at the Zagreb Ranking Series in February 2025, and again at this year’s. In between, he lost in last year’s Asian final to Ri and in the final of the World Championships to Aidos SULTANGALI (KAZ).

“I had been waiting for a long time,” Ganiev said. “This is my second Asian Championship. In the first one, I finished in second place. Now in 2026 I finally took first place. Today, all the hard work paid off. In the 2025 final, I made mistakes, but this time I corrected them.”

While a number of Saravi’s teammates faltered at the final hurdle, the two-time Olympic medalist proved to be a rock of stability in claiming the 97kg gold with a solid albeit not overwhelming 7-1 win over NITESH (IND).

“I managed to finish the competition with the gold medal,” Saravi said. “After the World Championships, I set aside some time for recovery to get my body back in shape. The coaches decided to send me to the Asian Championships. I arrived at this competition with only a relative level of readiness, but thankfully I managed to achieve the best result and claim gold.”

Saravi, whose long list of laurels also includes four world medals, reeled off two rolls from par terre in the first period to lead 5-0. After being put on the bottom in the second but never budging, Saravi added a pair of stepouts to beat Nitesh for the third time in as many career meetings and clinch his fourth Asian gold over a seven-year span.

“The final was tougher [than the previous matches] because I’d suffered a knee injury before arriving, which was bothering me a bit and meant I couldn't keep up with my training properly or come to the competition fully prepared,” Saravi said. “Because of that I was a bit unsettled.”

At 72kg, Amanbek capped his senior Asian debut with a stunning victory by fall over Javad REZAEI (IRI), which more than avenged a 3-2 loss to the Iranian in the quarterfinals of the Tirana Ranking Series that Rezaei won.

“It’s the first time I’ve taken first place in the 72-kilogram category,” said Amanbek, who moved up from 67kg this year. “It’s been an incredibly emotional day. 

“I’d give myself a ten out of ten. I did really well. Everything went exactly as I’d planned. I can give myself a pat on the back.”

The quick succession of moments that led to Amanbek’s victory started with him on the bottom of par terre. When Rezaei tried to force a gut wrench, Amanbek stepped over, scooped Rezaei’s head and held him down for a fall in 1:50.

“I know that Iranian wrestler, we faced each other at a ranking tournament in Albania,” Amanbek said. “I lost there. Today I got my revenge. I was in good spirits. We went out there and stuck to our tactics and our game plan. That’s why we won.”

At 67kg, Beishekeev wrapped up a strong Greco outing for the home team by soundly defeating former world bronze medalist Kensuke SHIMIZU (JPN) 8-2.

“I can say that this victory means a lot to me,” Beishekeev said of triumphing in front of the home crowd at Zhastyk Arena. “I truly felt the strong support of my people, it gave me strength and motivation. Thanks to that, everything came together today and I became a champion.”

Beishekeev all but put the match away in the first period, when he not only completed a gut wrench from par terre, but added a 4-pointer by lifting Shimizu and dumping him onto this back.

In the second period, Beishekeev gave up a passivity point but nothing from the bottom of par terre, and received a point himself when the Japanese side unsuccessfully challenged for a leg foul. A late stepout by Shimizu only changed the margin of victory.

In the three previous Asian Championships, Beishekeev’s results had been: bronze, silver, silver.

“Behind this success is a lot of hard work,” he said. “I worked patiently, step by step, never forgetting my goal and constantly pushing forward. If we continue working with the same determination, I believe a gold medal at the World Championships is also possible. “

Entire Iranian team comes away with medals

In the bronze-medal matches, Ali AHMADI VAFA (IRI) and Ahmadreza MOHSEN NEZHAD (IRI) both picked up their first major senior medals and assured that nobody on the Iranian Greco team would be leaving Bishkek empty-handed.

Ahmadi Vafa, who won world titles at each of the three age-group levels from 2022 to 2024, secured a bronze medal at 60kg with a 10-0 rout of Yerbol KAMALIYEV (KAZ).

After a 4-point throw from par terre, Ahmadi Vafa tossed Kamaliyev again, although he didn’t get the necessary exposure and it was ruled a 2-pointer. But the Iranian continued the move and forced Kamaliyev to his back for 2 more to end it at 1:49.

The other bronze at 60kg went to Yu SHIOTANI (JPN), who was back on the Asian scene for the first time since winning the 55kg gold in 2022, the same year he won a world bronze.

Shiotani hit a 4-point throw from par terre, good enough for a 5-1 win over two-time former Asian U23 champion Haodong TAN (CHN).

At 67kg, Mohsen Nezhad, a 2025 world U23 bronze medalist, gained his bronze without a fight, as he received a victory by default from world silver medalist Hanjae CHUNG (KOR), who had suffered an elbow injury in his quarterfinal loss to Beishekeev on Tuesday.

Sachin SAHRAWAT (IND) captured his second career 67kg bronze when he fought back from behind three times to eventually come away with a 6-5 win over Abdumalik AMINOV (UZB).

A drag-by takedown in the final 30 seconds finally put Sahrawat over the top, after he had trailed 1-0, 3-2 and 5-3 during the match.

At 72kg, Taishi NARIKUNI (JPN) saw his bid for a place in wrestling history harshly ended by Shakhzod KUCHKOROV (UZB), who needed less than a minute to uncork a pair of 4-point throws in a 9-0 romp.

Narikuni, the 2022 champion at Freestyle 70kg, was looking to join the select group of wrestlers with Asian medals in both styles – a group that compatriot Kaisei TANABE (JPN) joined the previous day by taking a bronze at 63kg.

Ironically, last December, Narikuni had pipped Tanabe in each’s bid to become the first wrestler in 52 years to complete the Freestyle-Greco double at the All-Japan Championships. Narikuni did it by also winning the Freestyle 70kg title, while Tanabe fell short by finishing third at 65kg.

Narikuni will be returning to the Bishkek mat on Friday for the Freestyle 70kg qualification rounds as he attempts to bounce back from his Greco disappointment. Narikuni also won the world gold in Freestyle in 2022, but his attempt to repeat that feat in Greco last year in Zagreb ended in the first round.

Dongyu LI (CHN) took the other bronze at 72kg on Wednesday with a somewhat odd victory by fall over Amantur ISMAILOV (KGZ).

After breaking out to a 5-0 lead with two rolls from par terre, Li secured double underhooks and pancaked Ismailov to his back for 4 points.

Having achieved a win by technical superiority, Li stood up and thrust his fists in the air in triumph, only to notice that Ismailov was still lying on his back. Li then hopped on top of his prone opponent for an easy fall in 2:40.

At 82kg, Kakabay KAKABAYEV (TKM) became the third wrestler from Turkmenistan to make it to a bronze-medal match in Greco and have a chance to become the country’s first medalist since 2018, and the third to come up short.

Kakabayev never really had a chance against PRINCE (IND), who reeled off four rolls in a row from par terre en route to a 10-1 victory. That gave Prince a senior Asian bronze a year after winning one on the U20 level.

The other 82kg match saw veteran and former Asian champion Ibragim MAGOMADOV earn his fourth straight Asian medal and second straight bronze with a 5-3 victory over Rui LIU (CHN).

Magomadov, the 2023 champion at 72kg and a bronze medalist last year at 77kg, hit a 4-point throw from par terre in the first period, then held on after giving up a 2-point penalty in the second.

At 97kg, Zagreb Ranking Series silver medalist Islam YEVLOYEV (KAZ), the 2024 world U20 champion at 82kg, never gave Minho LEE (KOR) a chance, spinning behind for a takedown then chalking up a combination of exposures and rolls for a 9-0 victory in 1:27.

Zegang WANG (CHN) was equally dominant in taking the other 97kg bronze with an 11-1 victory over Melis AITBEKOV (KGZ) in his Asian debut.

Day 3 Results

Greco-Roman

60kg (10 entries)
GOLD: Alisher GANIEV (UZB) df. Se Ung RI (PRK) by Fall, 5:06 (6-1)

BRONZE: Yu SHIOTANI (JPN) df. Haodong TAN (CHN), 5-1
BRONZE: Ali AHMADI VAFA (IRI) df. Yerbol KAMALIYEV (KAZ) by TS, 10-0, 1:49

67kg (11 entries)
GOLD: Razzak BEISHEKEEV (KGZ) df. Kensuke SHIMIZU (JPN), 8-2

BRONZE: Ahmadreza MOHSEN NEZHAD (IRI) df. Hanjae CHUNG (KOR) by Inj. Def.
BRONZE: Sachin SAHRAWAT (IND) df. Abdumalik AMINOV (UZB), 6-5

72kg (10 entries)
GOLD: Almatbek AMANBEK (KAZ) df. Javad REZAEI (IRI) by Fall, 1:50 (2-1)

BRONZE: Dongyu LI (CHN) df. Amantur ISMAILOV (KGZ) by Fall, 2:40 (9-0)
BRONZE: Shakhzod KUCHKOROV (UZB) df. Taishi NARIKUNI (JPN) by TS, 9-0, :48

82kg (10 entries)
GOLD: Shahin BADAGHIMOFRAD (QAT) df. Amin HOSSEINI (IRI), 4-3

BRONZE: Ibragim MAGOMADOV (KAZ) df. Rui LIU (CHN), 5-3
BRONZE: PRINCE (IND) df. Kakabay KAKABAYEV (TKM) by TS, 10-1, 2:06

97kg (11 entries)
GOLD: Hadi SARAVI (IRI) df. NITESH (IND), 7-1

BRONZE: Islam YEVLOYEV (KAZ) df. Minho LEE (KOR) by TS, 9-0, 1:27
BRONZE: Zegang WANG (CHN) df. Melis AITBEKOV (KGZ) by TS, 11-1, 4:11

Women’s Wrestling

50kg (11 entries)
SF 1: Son Hyang KIM (PRK) df. Aktenge KEUNIMJAEVA (UZB), 12-8
SF 2: Yui SUSAKI (JPN) df. Maral TANGIRBERGENOVA (KAZ) by TS, 8-0, 2:00

55kg (8 entries)
SF 1: Sowaka UCHIDA (JPN) df. Ariunzaya ODONCHIMEG (MGL) by TS, 10-0, 1:33
SF 2: Yuxuan LI (CHN) df. Hansika LAMBA (IND) by TS, 11-1, 5:54

59kg (8 entries)
SF 1: Mengyu XIE (CHN) df. NEHA (IND), 12-5
SF 2: Sena NAGAMOTO (JPN) df. Ulmeken ESENBAEVA (UZB) by TS, 10-0, 4:00

68kg (10 entries)
SF 1: Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ) df. Zelu LI (CHN), 1-1
SF 2: Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) df. Delgermaa ENKHSAIKHAN (MGL), 7-0

76kg (9 entries)
SF 1: Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) df. Hui Tsz CHANG (TPE) by TS, 11-0, 1:03
SF 2: Davaanasan ENKH AMAR (MGL) df. Gulmaral YERKEBAYEVA (KAZ), 7-2